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Country Name
São Tomé and Príncipe, (Saint Thomas and Prince) or officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Location
São Tomé & Principe is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The island nation shares maritime borders with Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria .
Capital
São Tomé.
The reason for naming the country
Its name is Portuguese for “Saint Thomas”. Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa’s oldest colonial cities. Príncipe was initially named Santo Antão (“Saint Anthony”), changing its name in 1502 to Ilha do Príncipe (“Prince’s Island”), about the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island’s sugar crop were paid.
Flag
The flag was adopted on 5 November 1975, after independence from Portugal. On the left side of the flag, a red triangle intersects three horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and green, and two black five-pointed stars adorn the yellow ribbon. These colors are commonly referred to as Pan-African. The yellow color signifies the sun and cocoa (a major crop), while the green color reflects Sao Tome and Principe’s farmland and greenery. The red color reflects the country’s battle for independence, as it does in many other countries in the area, while the two black stars signify the country’s two islands.
Language
The official language in Tomé and Principe is Portuguese, which is spoken by 98.4% of the population. Residents of São Tomé and Principe study French and English at school.
Religion
The majority of citizens are members of the Roman Catholic Church, which has strong links to the Portuguese church. Apart from Christianity, there are Muslims, Atheists, and traditional beliefs in the country. Other minorities’ religions are Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Polynesian Mana are three different religions. The Sao Tome and Principe constitution protects all religious organizations. To some extent, the government also protects religious freedom and does not discriminate against people of other faiths.
Currency
Dobra (STN).
Time Zone
+00:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary semi-presidential republic.
Climate
The climate on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe is tropical, hot, and humid all year, with maximum temperatures of about 30 °C (86 °F) from January to April and somewhat lower from June to August. Both islands are densely forested, with mist-wrapped hills in the interior parts. The greatest time to visit So Tomé is from June to September, whereas the best time to visit Principe is from mid-June to mid-September because this is the driest season with less rain.
International Phone Code
+239
Internet Code
.st
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